June 27, 2005
The grass is greener | Nick Nikazmerad's hovering lawnmower earns him recognition as Maine's international
By Sean Donahue
Nick Nikazmerad had more than enough on his mind when he received word that his Portland company, Eastman Industries, had been chosen by the Maine International Trade Center as International Innovator of the Year. Spring is always the busiest time of year for the seven-employee lawnmower manufacturer known for its Hover Mower, which floats, rather than rolls, over the grass thanks to a fan-like impeller.
But this spring, Nikazmerad has had even less time than usual. He's been flying between Maine and Wisconsin, where he recently acquired Ingersoll Equipment Co., a manufacturer of lawn tractors, ride-on mowers and light construction machines. "We are unbelievably busy here," says Nikazmerad of his efforts to juggle the acquisition. "And this is our busy season already ˆ we have a lot of lawnmowers to get out."
On June 16, though, Nikazmerad took a short break to accept the award, which recognizes the company's achievements in 2004, when Eastman's international sales reached 25% of total revenues (the company did not disclose specific figures). That figure reflects Nikazmerad's aggressive pursuit of overseas markets ˆ he joined in the state's 2003 trade mission to Ireland and the 2004 mission to Italy and Germany ˆ which has resulted in lawnmower customers in 28 different countries on nearly every continent. The company's largest export market last year was China. "I find it quite satisfying to be a small Maine manufacturer selling goods to the Chinese market," says Nikazmerad.
Despite his recent success, Nikazmerad isn't a lifelong manufacturer. He previously ran a company in Connecticut that supplied nuclear fuel to utility companies around the world. After spending summers in Maine, he decided to retire to his farm in Lovell in the mid-90s, and began looking for a project to keep himself busy. Through a business broker, he found Portland-based Grass Craft, which had been manufacturing a hovering lawnmower since the early 1990s.
Nikazmerad remembered being impressed by a competitor's version of a hovering mower he saw at a friend's house in Germany, and decided to buy the struggling Grass Craft in 1998. He renamed the company after his farm in Lovell, Eastman Mill Stock Farm, and spent the next year designing a new product line and developing the company's focus on the commercial market. Rather than making lawn mowers for suburban weekend warriors, the company manufactures durable machines designed for landscapers, municipal parks departments, grounds crews and the like. The machines cost $700-$1,600, compared to the typical $300-$400 models on sale at Home Depot.
The company's Hover Mower line has found a particularly strong niche on the golf courses of the world, with customers such as Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina. The club, which hosted the U.S. Open earlier this month, owns a fleet of 12 Hover Mowers. For Pinehurst and others, the hovering machines are ideal for mowing the steep sides of bunkers, around lakes or in wet, low-lying areas where a wheeled mower might leave ruts, says Nikazmerad.
Now, Nikazmerad faces what may be his biggest challenge: integrating the operations of Ingersoll and Eastman. He hopes to move Ingersoll's production to Maine this year, but first has to find a new location large enough to handle the production volume; Ingersoll currently occupies a 60,000-square-foot facility, which dwarfs the 8,000-square-foot site where the Eastman mowers are assembled.
Apart from the logistical issues, though, Nikazmerad believes the two product lines ˆ Eastman's walk-behinds and Ingersoll's ride-ons ˆ will complement each other, and help the company continue to grow. "With the acquisition of Ingersoll, we'll be able to offer a more complete line of lawn mowing equipment," says Nikazmerad. "So Eastman and Ingersoll enhance each other quite nicely."
But this spring, Nikazmerad has had even less time than usual. He's been flying between Maine and Wisconsin, where he recently acquired Ingersoll Equipment Co., a manufacturer of lawn tractors, ride-on mowers and light construction machines. "We are unbelievably busy here," says Nikazmerad of his efforts to juggle the acquisition. "And this is our busy season already ˆ we have a lot of lawnmowers to get out."
On June 16, though, Nikazmerad took a short break to accept the award, which recognizes the company's achievements in 2004, when Eastman's international sales reached 25% of total revenues (the company did not disclose specific figures). That figure reflects Nikazmerad's aggressive pursuit of overseas markets ˆ he joined in the state's 2003 trade mission to Ireland and the 2004 mission to Italy and Germany ˆ which has resulted in lawnmower customers in 28 different countries on nearly every continent. The company's largest export market last year was China. "I find it quite satisfying to be a small Maine manufacturer selling goods to the Chinese market," says Nikazmerad.
Despite his recent success, Nikazmerad isn't a lifelong manufacturer. He previously ran a company in Connecticut that supplied nuclear fuel to utility companies around the world. After spending summers in Maine, he decided to retire to his farm in Lovell in the mid-90s, and began looking for a project to keep himself busy. Through a business broker, he found Portland-based Grass Craft, which had been manufacturing a hovering lawnmower since the early 1990s.
Nikazmerad remembered being impressed by a competitor's version of a hovering mower he saw at a friend's house in Germany, and decided to buy the struggling Grass Craft in 1998. He renamed the company after his farm in Lovell, Eastman Mill Stock Farm, and spent the next year designing a new product line and developing the company's focus on the commercial market. Rather than making lawn mowers for suburban weekend warriors, the company manufactures durable machines designed for landscapers, municipal parks departments, grounds crews and the like. The machines cost $700-$1,600, compared to the typical $300-$400 models on sale at Home Depot.
The company's Hover Mower line has found a particularly strong niche on the golf courses of the world, with customers such as Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina. The club, which hosted the U.S. Open earlier this month, owns a fleet of 12 Hover Mowers. For Pinehurst and others, the hovering machines are ideal for mowing the steep sides of bunkers, around lakes or in wet, low-lying areas where a wheeled mower might leave ruts, says Nikazmerad.
Now, Nikazmerad faces what may be his biggest challenge: integrating the operations of Ingersoll and Eastman. He hopes to move Ingersoll's production to Maine this year, but first has to find a new location large enough to handle the production volume; Ingersoll currently occupies a 60,000-square-foot facility, which dwarfs the 8,000-square-foot site where the Eastman mowers are assembled.
Apart from the logistical issues, though, Nikazmerad believes the two product lines ˆ Eastman's walk-behinds and Ingersoll's ride-ons ˆ will complement each other, and help the company continue to grow. "With the acquisition of Ingersoll, we'll be able to offer a more complete line of lawn mowing equipment," says Nikazmerad. "So Eastman and Ingersoll enhance each other quite nicely."
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